American Wake

It was the tradition in Ireland to have a "wake" before catching the boat to America as nobody was expected back again. Therefore they held a wake before the person left. Leaving Wellington in a week it seemed appropriate to have one here too as we head off on our adventure back to the USA. The met service promised a lovely day in Wellington for an American Wake/BBQ and in typical Wellie style it was freezing cold. Here the Cork gang who are a hardy lot and Joanne who believes Wellie is positively tropical battle out the elements outside on the deck.

Jemma from my MIR class chose to stay inside and be entertained by Tim O'Leary, one of the many O'Leary cousins who came.
To show how truly international the MIR class were, this photo has Clara from Australia, Scott from Palmerston North and Danielle from San Mateo California.
Christine from Cork enjoys a laugh
The youngest attendee at the BBQ was Lucia, who was conceived and birthed by her mom Danielle during the MIR programme. She is going to be a very well educated young lady
Caught in the act - The O'Leary boys and Raewyn pig out on cupcakes and Pavlova